Payton Place

 

This list was originally a MySpace bulletin; expanded into a Blog Post by my buddy, Stoic Sideman. Considering the fact I avoid MySpace like the plague, I opted to shamelessly copy the list, adapt it with my own information, and post it here instead. You may do the same provided you add your own unique introduction similar to this first paragraph. So let’s get on with the list, shall we?

[One] Have you ever been asked out?

Certainly. Numerous times . . .

[Two] Where was your default picture taken?

In my office and in front of a green screen in order to create the “floating head” effect.

[Three] What is your last name?

The same as my Father, and his Father, and his Father’s Father, and so on . . .

[Four] Your current relationship status?

Married with Children.

[Five] Does your crush like you back?

Crush? Wow, it’s been a long time since I thought in those terms. My crush liked me back, so much, that she said “Yes!” when I asked her to marry me!

[Six] What is your current mood?

Annoyed by this insomnia.

[Seven] what color underwear are you wearing?

Who said I was wearing underwear?

[Eight] wat color is ur shirt?

Usage of net lingo ina ful txt sys lyk this S idiotic. n 4 yr info, my shirt isa 1/2 mast!

[Ten] If you could go back in time and change something, would you?

But of course. Far too many to mention, in fact!

[Eleven] If you must be an animal for one day, what would you be?

I would be an eagle. To soar above the earth riding the thermals for hours would be fantastic.

[Twelve] Ever had a near death experience?

You betcha. It is something I’ll never forget. It’s true ~ your entire life really does flash before your eyes.

[Thirteen] Whats something you do everyday?

Head to the coffee pot in search of wakefulness – its the first thing I do every single solitary morning.

[Fifteen] Who did you copy and paste this from?

John

[Sixteen] Name someone with the same birthday as you?

Jim Davis, Bill Bradley, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Rudy Vall?e

[Seventeen] When was the last time you cried?

At the conclusion of the movie “Evening,” alone in the dark and while out of town on business.

[Nineteen] If you could have one super power what would it be?

That’s an easy one . . . Invisibility.

[Twenty] What’s the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?

That depends entirely on the angle of incidence.

[Twenty-one] What do you usually order from starbucks?

Venti Nonfat Mocha No-whip!

[Twenty-two] What’s your biggest secret?

Such a thing will always remain a mystery, perhaps for all time!

[Twenty-three] Favorite color?

Just slightly to the right of center (of the spectrum) . . . Blue.

[Twenty-five] Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?

Every single solitary day ~ such is a requirement of a parent with young children.

[Twenty-six] What are you eating or drinking at the moment?

Simply water. I’m fasting over night in preparation of my annual physical tomorrow. No wait, it’s today. And in just a few hours too! Perhaps that’s why I can’t sleep?

[Twenty-eight] What’s your favorite smell?

Freshly Baked Bread

[Twenty-nine] Describe your life in one word what would it be?

No single word could ever effectively describe my life. If such a word did exist it would be the average length of an epic poem.

[Thirty-one] Have you ever kissed in the rain?

Oh Yeah . . . and it was a good one too!

[Thirty-three] What should you be doing right now?

I should be sleeping. I’ve been awake since 3:30 a.m. and my daily alarm goes off in 15 minutes.

[Thirty-four] Who was the last person that made you upset/angry?

Myself ~ sometimes I really am my own worse enemy.

[Thirty-five] Why are you doing this?

I’m doing this because it seemed like a good idea at the time, insomnia, et. al. And although I’ve completed dozens of these inane lists over the years, once I get beyond the half-way point I simply must complete the dang thing.

[Thirty-six] Do you like working in the yard?

Yes, but only during cooler autumn lawn mowing experiences. I gives me time I wouldn’t normally take to catch-up on some of my podcasts in the quiet comfort of my noise-canceling headphones.

[Thirty-seven] If you could have any last name in the world, what would it be?

Buffet, Branson, Gates, Getty . . . you see the progression, eh?

[Thirty-eight] Do you act differently around the person you like?

I’d like to think I act like myself around most everyone. But it’s true, we all tailor our behavior according to the crowd or the individual.

[Thirty-nine] What is your natural hair color?

A sandy brown (is that a color?) but these days its more gray than any other color.

[Forty] What are you doing tomorrow?

Reporting for an annual physical, attempting to deliver some projects that are due, assisting with a cub scouts meeting while we visit a local television station. We’re going to get to watch the 5:00 newscast!

After reading this fill it in and post it with the subject: 40 Secrets About Me.

Pass it on . . .

~SP

Ever catch yourself writing or speaking to someone, mention a catch phrase or idiomatic string of words, and wonder, “Will they know what that means?” Since my Daddy is from the south I’ve heard all manner of southern phrases from him that when repeated (instinctively) by me leave numerous Yankees with a puzzled look on their phrases.

Here is a perfect example: Today I typed “That’s All She Wrote!” in an e-mail response to a colleague. Considering the fact this was mentioned in a note to a New Englander of Brazilian descent, I thought perhaps I’d better research that phrase for the inevitable, “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” [remember that one?]

Here is what I discovered at Word-Detective.Com:

Dear Word Detective: What is the origin of the phrase, “…and that was all she wrote?” Who was “she,” and why did she decide or have to stop writing? Was it some Jane Austen/Emily Dickinson why-do-I-have-to-call-myself-George-Eliot-just-to-get-published type of pre-Women’s Suffrage male oppression deal? It’s puzzled me for years. — Melanie Waddell, Bethpage, New York.

You and me both, and everybody else to boot. The origin of “That’s all she wrote” (which is how it’s usually phrased) is a subject of considerable debate, although the male oppression angle you suspect is almost certainly off the mark. Most theories about “That’s all she wrote” actually leave men holding the short end of the stick.

“That’s all she wrote” is a catch phrase, a kind of popular saying that probably began in reference to a particular situation or was drawn from a specific joke or other context, but which has since taken on a life of its own and is used in a variety of contexts. When we say “That’s all she wrote” today, we mean “that’s all there is” or “that’s the end of it.”

The standard theory about “That’s all she wrote” is that it arose during World War II and refers to the “Dear John letters” received by many servicemen from their sweethearts back home bluntly announcing the end of their relationships. Such letters were so common during the war that “That’s all she wrote” may have originally been the punch line to a joke: a GI (in some versions, not even named John) receives a letter containing only the salutation “Dear John,” with the “It’s over” part left unwritten and implicit. When questioned by his buddies about the rest of the letter’s contents, he replies, “That’s all she wrote.”

When my colleague William Safire explored that theory in print a few years ago, however, he received several letters suggesting that the phrase may have come from a variety of popular American songs about brides abandoned at the altar, or men dumped by their sweethearts. The rupture was invariably communicated by a terse note, leading to the refrain “And that’s all she (or he) wrote.” Unfortunately, no one has yet managed to pin down the exact song in which the phrase occurs, so the jury is still out on “That’s all she wrote.”

Interesting, eh? So the next time you spew a similar phrase . . . consider not only the source but also the recipient!

~SP